France takes back POW children
should be judged by the Syrian militias or Iraqi forces that captured them.
However, the government said it would consider accepting the prisoners-of-war (POW) women and children.
“The decision was taken because of the age of these particularly vulnerable children,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday. “As for French adult fighters and jihadists who followed Daech (French name for IS) to the Middle East, the French position has not changed - they must be judged where they committed their crimes. It’s a question of both justice and security.”
The children will receive special medical and psychological checks, and their relatives have been informed, according to the statement.
The French government also thanked the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for their help.
According to estimates by the Soufan Center, a non-government organisation dedicated to research on global security issues, about 2,000 French have joined the IS. Some went as families, while others married and had children while in Syria.
Meanwhile, an aid group, the International Rescue Committee, says that nearly 3,000 people have arrived at a tent settlement in northeastern Syria over the past two days after leaving the last area held by the IS.